LUCKNOW The sensational murder of gangster-politician brothers Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf on live cameras and in police presence on Saturday night has set the agenda for the UP civic polls, in which 4.23 crore urban voters would vote on May 4 and 11 to elect their civic representatives.
As this is the last big political exercise to assess the mood of the urban electorate ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP and its top leadership are set to use the ‘mafia tamed in Yogi 2.0’ line to convince people of the restoration of rule of law under the BJP.
While Yogi Adityanath and deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak have not spoken on the way Atiq-Ashraf were murdered, the Yogi ministers have been quite vocal on it, some describing the murders as “divine intervention” while others stating that balance sheets of ‘paap, punya’ (good and bad deeds) were settled in this lifetime alone.
Their statements have indicated how the BJP will surely play up the fact that after prospering under “friendly governments”, the mafia is now feeling the heat.
Adityanath himself indicated as much. “Those who earlier were a threat to the state’s image are now discovering that the tables have turned and they are the ones now feeling threatened,” he said at a function on Tuesday, three days after Atiq-Ashraf were killed.
{{/usCountry}}Adityanath himself indicated as much. “Those who earlier were a threat to the state’s image are now discovering that the tables have turned and they are the ones now feeling threatened,” he said at a function on Tuesday, three days after Atiq-Ashraf were killed.
{{/usCountry}}Under Adityanath’s direction, the UP police are compiling a list of mafias in each district and action that has been initiated against them.
To counter the allegation that only criminals of a particular religion were being targeted, a list of those Muslims who were threatened and exploited by Atiq and his gang has been made public.
“You must have seen how after his murder, those tormented by Atiq and his gang are now coming forward. Many of them are Muslims. So while Atiq and his type of mafia have mostly exploited their community, our government has been helping all poor, including Muslims, by helping them with free rations and other government schemes,” a senior BJP leader said, indicating that this would be among the party’s campaign themes in civic polls.
A video appeal of the CM, which starts with “my brothers and sisters from UP, now the time has come for a big decision…” is also being widely shared on social media.
“All that I worry about is this. Professional criminals and mafia against whom effective action has been initiated are now plotting revenge and can be heard threatening that ‘let us come to power’. Remember, if you miss now, then none would be able to stop UP from becoming Bengal, Kerala or Kashmir. Your vote should be a blessing for our rule and a guarantee for your secure future,” the CM is heard stating in the video appeal, which ends with Yogi’s “Jai Jai Shri Ram.”
“The most wanted list is readied by the police keeping criminals and their crime in mind, not their caste or religion,” a police officer said.
Interestingly, while the BJP government is hoping to use these civic polls to showcase its firm resolve against criminals, the opposition is also planning to use these polls to brand it as a “trigger friendly government.”
“What are the courts meant for if the government allows elimination of criminals through fake encounters that have become the norm since 2017 in UP,” asked Samajwadi Party veteran Ram Gopal Yadav.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, Congress general secretary and UP in-charge Priyanka Gandhi and AAP’s UP in-charge Sanjay Singh too have flagged the same thought.